Fabric-spreader for tire-making machines.



w. c STEVENS. FABFHC SPREADER FOR TIRE MAKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 'MAY HI. 1914.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. STEVENS, O IF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FABRIC-SPREADER FOR TIRE-MAKING MACHIN ES.

' Application filed May 15 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. Sravsns, a citizen ofthe United States, residin ,at Akron, in the county of Summit and ttate of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Spreaders for Tire-Making Machines,'of which the follow ing is a specification. v p n the making of fabric carcasses of the or casings of automobile tires, it is usual tosuperimpose a plurality of frictional fabric lies on a form or core and shape them to the atter. It is also customa to stretch such rubber-im re ated plies 1n order to secureproper a hesion between them, to pre- .vent' undue stretching u on inflation of the inner tube and to ren er theshaping or forming of the ply easier. Such stretching or elongation is readily accom lished by retating t 1e core during the ap ication of the lyand employing some retar ing or stretchmg means to effect the propere 'ongation of "the ply, the greater stretchin the central zone of thelat r. In some 26 stretching devices the fabric is passed around retarding or stretching drums or rollers and leaves the latter substantially fiat, assing directly to the transverselyc'urveii, revoluble core 'or' form. In .thus sechanging the 1y froma fiat to a curved (conformation on itudinal wrinkles tend to form therein an unless completely eliminated beforethe sticky fabric reaches the f core proper application ofthe ply to the lat- 85 ,ter is rendered either difficult or impossible. H The leading'object of this invention is the provision, in a device of this general charactor, of means to preventthe occurrence of such wrinkles, in this way facilitating the 40" application of the adhesive ply to the form or core. I v

In order that those skilled in this art may have a full and completeunderstanding of this invention, Ihave illustrated a desirable embodiment of the same in the accom any-. .ing: drawing, which fg jms a part this specification and to whichgreference will be had in connection with the following do? v t;taileddescription.

Specification of Lettersl'atent.

occurring in Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

, 1914. Serial No. 838,261.

-* In this machine, a round-form or core is demountably secured to a shaft 11, which is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow by any suitable drivin means, as, for lnstjance, an electric motor.' he main frame 12 of the machine has hinged'or pivoted thereon, at l3, a frame 14', with one or more forwardly-extended feet 15', acted upon b coiled expansion springs 16', which', as wi 1 be readily understood, tend to rock the frame on its hinged supports 13 toward the core. This frame 14 carries a revoluble Wheel 15, the concave face of which is adapted to be pressed against and travel on the surface of the form 10, and acting as a retarding or dragging roll as illustrated. Driving contact of the concave retarding roller 15 with the surface of the cpre, however, is inadeby the pull on the fabric exerted by the core n its rotation and also by the weight of the frame carrying the stretching mechanism. This Wheel 15 is mounted on a shaft 16, the latter also having fixed thereto a sprocket wheel 17 with which cooperates a sprocket chain 18 passing around a similar sprocket wheel 19, on another shaft 20 of the frame or standard 14. Shaft-20 has mounted thereon a stretching drum or roller 21 and also a gear 22, the teeth of the latterineshing with those of a similar gear 23 fastened to an upper shaft 24, also revolubly mounted in suitable bearings in therframe 14. Shaft 24 also carries a second stretching roller or drum 25. The device also includes a stock roll 26, from which the rubber impregnated fabric plies are unwound as required. The frame 14, at27, has hinged thereto a frame or bracket 28, carrying an adjustable stop screw 29 adapted to bear a ainst a rod or shaft 30, thereby limiting an restricting the downward swinging of'the frame 28 on drum, it passes its hinge or pivot shaft 27; This frame 28, at 31, has hinged thereto a longitudinally and transversely curved fabric spreader or guide 32, which overhangs or overlies a. portion of the form or core 10, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. l. .The free end of this fabric spreader is equipped internally with a rod or shaft 33, on which is revolubly mounted a concaved roller Zia-adapted to bear on the face of core 10.

The frictioned fabric, upon leaving the stock drum or roller 26, passes part way around the drum 25 and also part way around the drum 21, in reverse directions, and, iii-leaving the under side of the latter over the fabric guide or s reader 32 onto the core or form 10. As t e latterrotates, it drawsthe fabric from the stock roll 26 around and over the various parts of the mechanism, as indicated, and, owing to the fact that the concave retarding roller. 15 bears against the surface of the core, ,and the gearingis such that the surface speed of the stretching roller 21 is less thanthat of the form 10, =the fabric is stretched it passes between the retarding rollers and the form. The fabric spreader 32 is curved both lon itudinally and transversely, converging rom a wide gradual curve near the tension roller to a narrow more abrupt curve closely approximating that of the core at the end of the spreader and so positioned and so shaped, both longitudinally and transversely, that without transverse stretching of. the fabric and merely the absorption ofthe fullness evidenced by the presence of the longitudinal wrinkles itprevents the formation of wrinkles in the fabric as passes "f om the IOllQImQl to the form. The fabric is delivered at the advance end of the member 32 to the core in smoothaunwrinkledcondition,

so that its subsequent-transverse shapin to thecon-formatiomof the core may be rea ily accomplished. by ine'chanism not shown.

In 'a device oft-this kind, it will be clear I that this fabric-spreader may be swung upwardly ont of the Way when required, and

qthat its forward end, in normal, operative position, issuppor-tcd directly by. the form ,or core and-the plies of fabric, if any have previously placed on the form. After, v v the fabric has been applied to the core byjto the core mum sing the mechanism shown and described, it is, stitched or formed to the sides of the core by any suitable mechanism. During the shapin or forming, it is desirable to rotate the core at a higher speed than'th'atused in the. strel'cl'i'ing, and it is during this time,-

that the springs lt'ijarc uscfuhas they prevent the roller 15 carrying the frame, from bouncing o r jumping when it runs, over the splices on thew-ore Byemploymg amcchanjism of this char- '.,bination of fabric delivery -me' a s,:.

acter, the tire carcasses may be built up on the core or form with facility and despatch, because the fabric is delivered'to the core without wrinkles, so that no difficulty is encountered in eliminating such defects, if once permitted to form. 'lhis-forn'iing and shaping of the fabric pl during its travel from the stretching roller to the core is automatic in its action and requires no attention on the part of the attendant. The eculiar shape of the spreader which startmg at a long curve converging to the shape of the core, and also curvin -'upwardlylonitudinally gradually but ve ectuully shapes the fabric from the flat form in which it is delivered by the tension roll to the curved shape it assumes on the-core this being-aw complished without the formation of iongitudinal wrinkles such as would occur were not spreading means provided similar tothe one shown herein. In many instances heretofore, it has been customary to pull the fabric 1y crosswise in opposite directions just be ore it reaches the core or form, to avoid the presence of wrinkles or folds in the fabric or air pockets between-the'plies. By the employment of this mechanism, however, all such requirements on the part of the operator are overcome, rendering the machine more effective in the carrying'out of its work. i Y

I claim:

1. In a machine for making tires from fabric, the combination with a transVerse lyv curved core and a device'whi'ch delivers-the fabric to the core in flat condition ofmeans for absorbing the fullness of the fabric omprising a transvcrmly and longitudinally .curved fabric contacting surface-w "eats tapered toward the core, that p resting over the core and corrspond gl'y curved.

2. In a machine for making tiresjfiiom fabric, the combination of means for in cl'lng the fabric in flat condition a: vcrsely curved core to which the-sf H delivered and a" fabric spreader i'n terinedi ate the delivery means and the. core, the

spreader gradually tapering from a, curveture of longer radius to a curve-t" off shorter radius corresponding to'thefs of the core and adaptcd to shape the e bend.

3. In a machine for lnaking'tires the -transvers'cly curved core to. which the U is delivered of an intermediate {fab G. spreader, the s -ireader bcingfcui'ved l-ongitndlnally and transversely, the red of'litransvcrsc curvature being-greater end nearer the delivery means and-ta, toward the core, and adapted to-cimfor fabric to. the curvature of the core w" transverse stretching.

4. In a machine for making tires, the com- Bination of fabric delivery means, andmatransverse] curved core to which the fabric is delivere of a, fabric spreader located be- '6 tween the fabric ,deliverymeans and the core, 'and eontacting the fabric between these p0ints,,the spreader being wider adjucent the delivery means and tapering t0- warn the core, and adapted to eonform the fabric to the curvature of the core without 1.0 transverse stretching. 

